Bengaluru: A Nepali gang allegedly involved in the theft of nearly one kilogram of gold jewellery from the house of a private company employee in Kattigenahalli has been busted by Yelahanka police, with four persons arrested.
The arrested accused have been identified as Dhirendra Prem, Abhishek, Ambare Dhamai and Deepak Shahi. Police said two key accused, identified as Sanjay and his wife, are still absconding. According to investigators, the gang had allegedly planned the theft for nearly six months. Sanjay and his wife had reportedly worked at the residence of Chandramouli, the complainant, and were familiar with the house and the family's movements.
Police said Sanjay's wife had noticed the gold ornaments during the Varamahalakshmi puja at Chandramouli's residence last year. The couple allegedly kept the information in mind and planned the theft.
The opportunity reportedly came on August 16 when Chandramouli and his family left the house to attend a relative's death ceremony. As the family did not carry the jewellery with them, the accused allegedly entered the house around 2 am and stole the ornaments.
After the theft, Sanjay allegedly handed over the stolen gold to relatives before fleeing with his wife on a flight the following morning, police said. Meanwhile, the other members of the gang reportedly travelled by bus carrying the stolen jewellery. Yelahanka police registered a case and began tracing the suspects. Investigators reportedly used information available on social media, including Facebook, to identify and track the accused. By the time police traced them, the suspects had allegedly reached close to the Nepal border. Yelahanka police alerted the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which intercepted the bus in which the suspects were travelling. A police team subsequently travelled by air and took the accused into custody. Police have recovered 360 grams of gold valued at around ₹55 lakh and 960 grams of silver from the arrested suspects.
Investigators are continuing efforts to trace Sanjay and his wife, who are believed to be the key accused in the case. Police also found that Sanjay allegedly had a previous criminal record. He was reportedly arrested by KG Halli police in connection with a housebreaking and theft case in 2021. After being released from prison, he allegedly returned to similar criminal activities, investigators said. Police are now probing whether the gang was involved in other theft cases in Bengaluru and whether additional persons assisted them in disposing of the stolen jewellery.